Everything about The Diadochi totally explained
The
Diadochi (plural of
Latin Diadochus, from
Greek Διάδοχοι,
Diadokhoi, "successors") were the rival successors of
Alexander the Great, and their
Wars of the Diadochi followed Alexander's death. This was the beginning of the
Hellenistic period of Greek history, the time when many people who were not Greek themselves adopted Greek philosophy and styles, Greek urban life, and aspects of the
Greek religion. They are also referred to as
Epigonoi (
Greek:
Επίγονοι, "offspring"),
Death of Alexander, 323 BC
When Alexander the Great died (
June 10,
323 BC), he left behind a huge empire which was composed of many essentially independent territories. Alexander's empire stretched from his homeland of
Macedon itself, along with the
Greek city-states that his father had subdued, to
Bactria and parts of
India in the east. It included
Anatolia, the
Levant,
Egypt,
Babylonia, and
Persia.
Upon Alexander's untimely death, there was almost immediately a dispute among his generals as to who his successor should be.
Meleager and the infantry supported the candidacy of Alexander's half-brother,
Arrhidaeus, while
Perdiccas, the leading cavalry commander, supported waiting until the birth of Alexander's unborn child by
Roxana. A compromise was arranged - Arrhidaeus (as Philip III) should become King, and should rule jointly with Roxana's child, assuming that it was a boy (as it was, becoming
Alexander IV). Perdiccas himself would become Regent of the entire Empire, and Meleager his lieutenant. Soon, however, Perdiccas had Meleager and the other infantry leaders murdered, and assumed full control.
The other cavalry generals who had supported Perdiccas were rewarded in the
partition of Babylon by becoming
satraps of the various parts of the Empire.
Ptolemy received Egypt;
Laomedon received
Syria and
Phoenicia;
Philotas took
Cilicia;
Peithon took
Media;
Antigonus received
Phrygia,
Lycia and
Pamphylia;
Asander received
Caria;
Menander received
Lydia;
Lysimachus received
Thrace;
Leonnatus received
Hellespontine Phrygia; and
Neoptolemus had
Armenia. Macedon and the rest of Greece were to be under the joint rule of
Antipater, who had governed them for Alexander, and
Craterus, Alexander's most able lieutenant, while Alexander's old secretary,
Eumenes of Cardia, was to receive
Cappadocia and
Paphlagonia.
In the east, Perdiccas largely left Alexander's arrangements intact -
Taxiles and
Porus ruled over their kingdoms in India; Alexander's father-in-law
Oxyartes ruled
Gandara;
Sibyrtius ruled
Arachosia and
Gedrosia;
Stasanor ruled
Aria and
Drangiana;
Philip ruled
Bactria and
Sogdiana;
Phrataphernes ruled
Parthia and
Hyrcania;
Peucestas governed
Persis;
Tlepolemus had charge over
Carmania;
Atropates governed northern Media;
Archon got
Babylonia; and
Arcesilas ruled northern
Mesopotamia.
Revolt in Greece, 323-322 BC
Meanwhile, the news of Alexander's death had inspired a revolt in Greece, known as the
Lamian War.
Athens and other cities joined together, ultimately besieging Antipater in the fortress of
Lamia. Antipater was relieved by a force sent by
Leonnatus, who was killed in action, but the war didn't come to an end until Craterus's arrival with a fleet to defeat the Athenians at the
Battle of Crannon on
September 5,
322 BC. For a time, this brought an end to Greek resistance to Macedonian domination. Meanwhile, Peithon suppressed a revolt of Greek settlers in the eastern parts of the Empire, and Perdiccas and Eumenes subdued
Cappadocia.
Wars of the Diadochi (322-301 BC)
First War of the Diadochi, 322-320 BC
Soon, however, conflict broke out.
Perdiccas' marriage to Alexander's sister
Cleopatra led Antipater, Craterus, Antigonus, and Ptolemy to join together in rebellion. The actual outbreak of war was triggered by Ptolemy's theft of Alexander's
body, and diversion of it to Egypt. Although Eumenes defeated the rebels in Asia Minor, in a battle at which Craterus was killed, it was all for nought, as Perdiccas himself was murdered by his own generals Peithon,
Seleucus, and
Antigenes during an invasion of Egypt.
Ptolemy came to terms with Perdiccas's murderers, making Peithon and
Arrhidaeus regents in his place, but soon these came to a new agreement with Antipater at the
Treaty of Triparadisus. Antipater was made regent of the Empire, and the two kings were moved to Macedon. Antigonus remained in charge of Phrygia, Lycia, and Pamphylia, to which was added
Lycaonia. Ptolemy retained Egypt, Lysimachus retained Thrace, while the three murderers of Perdiccas--Seleucus, Peithon, and Antigenes--were given the provinces of Babylonia, Media, and
Susiana respectively. Arrhidaeus, the former Regent, received Hellespontine Phrygia. Antigonus was charged with the task of rooting out Perdiccas's former supporter, Eumenes. In effect, Antipater retained for himself control of Europe, while Antigonus, as leader of the largest army east of the
Hellespont, held a similar position in Asia.
Second War of the Diadochi, 319-315 BC
War soon broke out again, however, following the death of Antipater in 319 BC. Passing over his own son,
Cassander, Antipater declared
Polyperchon his successor as Regent. A civil war soon broke out in Macedon and Greece between Polyperchon and Cassander, with the latter supported by Antigonus and Ptolemy. Polyperchon allied himself to Eumenes in Asia, but was driven from Macedonia by Cassander, and fled to
Epirus with the infant king Alexander IV and his mother Roxane. In Epirus he joined forces with
Olympias, Alexander's mother, and together they invaded Macedon again. They were met by an army commanded by King Philip Arrhidaeus and his wife
Eurydice, which immediately defected, leaving the king and Eurydice to Olympias's not so tender mercies, and they were killed (317 BC). Soon after, though, the tide turned, and Cassander was victorious, capturing and killing Olympias, and attaining control of Macedon, the boy king, and his mother.
In the east, Eumenes was gradually driven back into the east by Antigonus's forces. After great battles at
Paraitacene in 317 BC and at
Gabiene in 316 BC, Eumenes was eventually betrayed and murdered by his own troops in 315 BC, leaving Antigonus in undisputed control of the Asian territories of the Empire.
Third War of the Diadochi, 314-311 BC
In this war, Antigonus, who had grown too powerful for the other rulers to tolerate him, faced Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Cassander. Antigonus invaded Syria, under Ptolemy's control, and besieged
Tyre for more than a year. Antigonus allied himself to Polyperchon, who still controlled part of the
Peloponnese, and proclaimed freedom for the Greeks to get them on his side. But although Cassander was tempted to conclude peace with Antigonus, in Asia the war turned against the one-eyed general, with Ptolemy invading Syria (and defeating Antigonus' son,
Demetrius Poliorcetes, in the
Battle of Gaza,
312 BC) and
Seleucus securing control of
Babylon, and thus, of the eastern reaches of Alexander's empire. Although Antigonus now concluded a compromise peace with Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Cassander, he continued the war with Seleucus, attempting to recover control of the eastern reaches of the Empire. Although he went so far as to besiege Babylon in
309 BC, Antigonus was ultimately defeated by Seleucus and forced to withdraw.
At about the same time, Cassander had young King Alexander IV and his mother Roxane murdered, ending the
Argead Dynasty which had ruled Macedon for several centuries. For the moment, all of the various generals continued to recognize the dead Alexander as King, since Cassander didn't publicly announce the deaths, but it seemed clear that at some point, one or the other of them would claim the Kingship.
Fourth War of the Diadochi, 308-301 BC
War soon broke out again. Ptolemy had been expanding his power into the
Aegean and to
Cyprus, while Seleucus went on a tour of the east to consolidate his control of the vast eastern territories of Alexander's Empire. Antigonus resumed the war, sending his son
Demetrius to regain control of Greece. In 307 he took Athens, expelling
Demetrius of Phaleron, Cassander's governor, and proclaiming the city free again. Demetrius now turned his attention to Ptolemy, invading Cyprus and defeating Ptolemy's fleet at the
battle of Salamis. In the aftermath of this victory, Antigonus and Demetrius both assumed the crown, and they were shortly followed by Ptolemy, Seleucus, Lysimachus, and eventually Cassander.
In 306, Antigonus attempted to invade Egypt, but storms prevented Demetrius's fleet from supplying him, and he was forced to return home. Now, with Cassander and Ptolemy both weakened, and Seleucus still occupied in the East, Antigonus and Demetrius turned their attention to
Rhodes, which was besieged by Demetrius's forces in
305 BC (see
siege of Rhodes). The island was reinforced by troops from Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Cassander. Ultimately, the Rhodians reached a compromise with Demetrius - they'd support Antigonus and Demetrius against all enemies, save their great ally Ptolemy. Ptolemy took the title of
Soter ("Savior") for his role in preventing the fall of Rhodes, but the victory was ultimately Demetrius's, as it left him with a free hand to attack Cassander in Greece. Demetrius returned to Greece, defeated Cassander, and formed a new Hellenic League, with himself as General, to defend the Greek cities against all enemies (and particularly Cassander).
In the face of these catastrophes, Cassander sued for peace, but Antigonus rejected the claims, and Demetrius invaded
Thessaly, where he and Cassander faced off against each other in inconclusive engagements. But now Cassander called in aid from his allies, and Anatolia was invaded by Lysimachus, forcing Demetrius to leave Thessaly and send his armies to Asia Minor to assist his father. With assistance from Cassander, Lysimachus overran much of western Anatolia, but was soon (
301 BC) isolated by Antigonus and Demetrius near Ipsus. Here came the decisive intervention from Seleucus, who arrived in time to save Lysimachus from disaster and utterly crush Antigonus at the
Battle of Ipsus. Antigonus was killed in the fight, and Demetrius fled back to Greece to attempt to preserve the remnants of his rule there. Lysimachus and Seleucus divided up Antigonus's Asian territories between them, with Lysimachus receiving western Asia Minor and Seleucus the rest, except Cilicia and Lycia, which went to Cassander's brother
Pleistarchus.
The struggle over Macedon, 298-285 BC
The events of the next decade and a half were centered around various intrigues for control of Macedon itself. Cassander died in
298 BC, and his sons,
Antipater and
Alexander, proved weaklings. After quarreling with his older brother, Alexander V called in Demetrius, who had retained control of Cyprus, the Peloponnese, and many of the Aegean islands, and had quickly seized control of Cilicia and Lycia from Cassander's brother, as well as
Pyrrhus, the King of
Epirus. After Pyrrhus had intervened to seize the border region of
Ambracia, Demetrius invaded, killed Alexander, and seized control of Macedon for himself (
294 BC). While Demetrius consolidated his control of mainland Greece, his outlying territories were invaded and captured by Lysimachus (who recovered western Anatolia), Seleucus (who took most of Cilicia), and Ptolemy (who recovered Cyprus, eastern Cilicia, and Lycia).
Soon, Demetrius was forced from Macedon by a rebellion supported by the alliance of Lysimachus and Pyrrhus, who divided the Kingdom between them, and, leaving Greece to the control of his son,
Antigonus Gonatas, Demetrius launched an invasion of the east in
287 BC. Although initially successful, Demetrius was ultimately captured by Seleucus (
286 BC), drinking himself to death two years later.
The Struggle of Lysimachus and Seleucus, 285-281 BC
Although Lysimachus and Pyrrhus had cooperated in driving Antigonus Gonatas from Thessaly and Athens, in the wake of Demetrius's capture they soon fell out, with Lysimachus driving Pyrrhus from his share of Macedon.
Dynastic struggles also rent Egypt, where Ptolemy decided to make his younger son
Ptolemy Philadelphus his heir rather than the elder,
Ptolemy Ceraunus. Ceraunus fled to Seleucus. The eldest Ptolemy died peacefully in his bed in
282 BC, and Philadelphus succeeded him.
Soon Lysimachus made the fatal mistake of having his son
Agathocles murdered at the say-so of his second wife,
Arsinoe (
282 BC). Agathocles's widow,
Lysandra, fled to Seleucus, who now made war upon Lysimachus. Seleucus, after appointing his son
Antiochus ruler of his Asian territories, defeated and killed Lysimachus at the
battle of Corupedium in Lydia in
281 BC, but Seleucus didn't live to enjoy his triumph for long - he was almost immediately murdered by Ptolemy Ceraunus, for reasons that remain unclear.
The Gallic invasions and consolidation, 280 - 275 BC
Ptolemy Ceraunus was also not to enjoy the rule of Macedon for very long. The death of Lysimachus had left the
Danube border of the Macedonian kingdom open to
barbarian invasions, and soon tribes of
Gauls were rampaging through Macedon and Greece, and invading Asia Minor. Ptolemy Ceraunus was killed by the invaders, and after several years of chaos, none other than Antigonus Gonatas emerged as ruler of Macedon. In Asia, Seleucus's son, Antiochus I, also managed to defeat the
Celtic invaders, who settled down in central
Anatolia in the part of eastern Phrygia that would henceforward be known as
Galatia after them.
Now, at long last, almost fifty years after Alexander's death, some sort of order was restored. Ptolemy ruled over Egypt, southern Syria (known as
Coele-Syria), and various territories on the southern coast of Asia Minor. Antiochus ruled the vast Asian territories of the Empire, while Macedon and Greece (with the exception of the
Aetolian League), fell to Antigonus.
Decline and fall
This division was to last for a century, before the
Antigonid Kingdom finally fell to
Rome, and the
Seleucids were harried from Persia by the
Parthians. A rump Seleucid kingdom limped on in
Syria until finally put to rest by
Pompey in
64 BC. The
Ptolemies lasted longer in
Alexandria: Egypt finally fell to Rome in
30 BC.
Other historical uses as a title
Aulic rank title
Ironically in the formal 'court' titulature of the Hellenistic empires ruled by dynasties we know as Diadochs, the title wasn't customary for the Monarch, but has actually been proven to be the
lowest in a system of official rank titles, known as
Aulic titulature, conferred -ex officio or nominatim- to actual courtiers
and as an honorary rank (for protocol) to various military and civilian officials. Notably in
Ptolemaic Egypt, it was reported as the lowest aulic rank, under
Philos, during the reign of
Ptolemy V Epiphanes.
Modern revival
In the modern
Kingdom of Greece, established in 1832 after Greece attained independence from the
Ottoman Empire (1830), under a Bavarian dynasty, the title of
Diadochos was 'revived' as particular princely style for the heir, apparent or presumptive, to the constitutional royal throne, as unique as the
Dauphin of France, but not linked to any territory. The
Diadochos usually enjoyed the specific geographic style
Duke of Sparta.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Diadochi'.
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